I am interested in this mill also. I usually buy heritage wheat and do buy other grains. My question is about Okra seeds. I bought, and loved, The Whole Okra, and one of the things I did was grind seeds from too woody okra seeds for a flour (I would add okra to beans, squash, potatoes and corn as essentials) which I add to pancakes or sourdough. It’s nice and nutty. BUT the okra seed flour needs heavy heavy sifting. Do you know of others who do this and how would the mill do with the grain mill. Thanks, Mark, gooddogboy.mark@gmail.com
Hi Mark,
I have not heard of others grinding okra seeds with the mill but that doesn't mean it can't do it. It will basically grind any dry grain that is not oily or too fibrous. It can do soft and hard grains, dent corn, legumes (i.e. chickpeas, dry beans, lentils), spices (i.e. mustard seeds, poppy seeds), and coffee beans. Since I'm not as familiar with okra seeds, I would recommend grinding a small amount first to see how they do in the mill.
Kevin Olson wrote:I have an old KitchenAid bowl lift mixer (K5A, I think - thrift store find, built like a tank). If I buy one adapter for the KA, can I use it to power both the grain mill and the flaker?
My KA belonged to my grandparents, and I love it. I didn’t know I needed a grain mill until I started looking at this post. If it would be possible to buy an adapter to power the mill and flaker with the Kitchen Aid, that would be awesome! They would be a welcome addition to the meat grinder and pasta maker attachments. Isn’t it great when you can find a product meant to last?
Austin Guidry wrote:How does a mill like this one compare to a high power blender such as a Vitamix?
We have considered getting one alongside our blender so we can make uncommon flours.
The Vitamix will do a nice job of grinding small amounts of grain. The KoMo grain mills will give you the option of grinding larger amounts and with more variability in texture of the grind.
Jenner Aycock-Jandreau wrote:I’m in the search for a grain mill, and love everything I’ve heard and seen about the KoMo, but the price is daunting. I’m thinking of cleaning out the coffee grinder I don’t use, and using it for grain instead, until I can save up the money for something good.
I got the impression from what you wrote that the KoMo is worth the wait!?
Hi Jenner, it's definitely worth saving up for and getting! I stayed home with my kids when they were younger and after they all were in school, I started working part-time again. The KoMo Classic was the first thing I purchased after I started working again and am so happy I did!
Hi Gen,
The mill is super easy to clean. Most of the time you just mill your flour and either brush off excess flour dust with a little paint brush or damp cloth. If you need to clean the grinding stones, you just run about a 1/2 cup of white rice through the machine and that cleans them! So simple!
Is there a guide for how coarse/fine to grind a particular grain for a recipe? (I'm a grain mill neophyte, can you tell?)
Is there a maintenance schedule for the motor? Are replacement parts readily available? Is there a manually-operated version of this mill?
Many thanks!
Excellent questions, Sara! With this mill, I like to grind my grain pretty fine for bread. There is a spectrum of dots on the front of this mill and you simply turn the hopper from the "finest" dot to the "coarsest" dot or anywhere in between to get your desired texture. For breads and pancakes, I usually grind it on the finest setting or close to it. If I'm grinding oats to put on top of my loaf of bread to make it look pretty, I'll grind on a coarser setting.
There is no maintenance schedule for the motor. One thing I love about this mill is how easy it is to use and clean. Most of the time you just mill your flour and either brush off excess flour dust with a little brush or damp cloth. If you need to clean the grinding stones, you just run about a 1/2 cup of white rice through the machine and that cleans them! So simple!
Another item to note is that if you're making cakes, pies, or cookies, it's better to use soft wheat. If you're making breads, then hard wheat is the way to go.
For breads, another option is to add a dough enhancer or gluten to the recipe to give it a lighter texture.
Abraham Palma wrote:Hi.
I thought this mill would be wonderful for our carobs and almonds.
However, I didn't read this part before creating a new thread in the 'bread' section: "one lucky winner in the USA or Canada".
Isn't it possible at all to send it to Europe?
Thanks for your interest in our mill! Pleasant Hill Grain is able to ship mills to Europe. For this particular free giveaway, though, we limited the winners to the USA and Canada due to the cost for shipping/taxes/duty fees that would be necessary to ship overseas.
If you're looking for a mill to grind almonds and carobs, you might consider the following mills that have steel burrs. For almonds or other nuts, you would need this type of burr since they are oily:
Lena Diehl wrote:Hi Ginny Welcome!!!
What typers of grains can be ground in the KoMo? Could I grind other things in it, like corn, beans, and/or coffee?
Thanks!
Excellent question! All dry grains can be ground with the KoMo Classic mill, including soft or hard wheat, oat groats (dehulled oats), rice, triticale, kamut, spelt, buckwheat, barley, rye, millet, teff, quinoa, amaranth, sorghum, soybeans and dent (field) corn. It will also grind lentils, dry beans (pinto, red, garbanzo/chickpeas, kidney & more), and dried, non-oily spices. It isn't suitable for herbs, oilseeds like flax or sesame, popcorn, or fibrous materials.
You can grind dry, roasted coffee beans; however, there will be some flavor transfer to the stones so it's recommended to have a 2nd set of stones and switch them out when grinding other materials so your grains don't taste like your coffee.
Also, I noticed with interest in the description that the mill is rated to grind dent corn. Is there any reason to avoid milling flint corn as well?
I can't say about the KoMo specifically, but the stone burrs on my Wonder Junior have little divots chipped out of them from trying to grind flint corn!
I strongly recommend getting a dedicated corn mill if you plan to grind flint corn. Look for one that's solid steel.
I agree. For flint corn, it would be best to get a mill specifically designed to mill corn. The KoMo is better suited for dent corn as that is not as hard.
Lorinne Anderson wrote:This may sound dumb...do you need to replace the grinding stones? If so, how often and are the replacements costly?
Yep, it is pricey, but dang if it is not so gorgeous it is almost artwork!
Customers rarely have to replace their stone burrs. If they tried grinding something oily that shouldn't be milled, that might be a reason to replace the stones. Replacement stones are available here for $45: https://pleasanthillgrain.com/komo-mill-stone-burrs
I have 3 kids ages 7, 8, and 11. One thing we love is homemade pancakes! I haven't tried the recipe you posted, but this is a super simple recipe we use and love. I use my KoMo Classic mill to grind the wheat (or I have my kids do it...they think it's fun!). I've used several types of wheat (hard white wheat, hard red wheat, soft white wheat) and they've all turned out great! If you wanted a "make-ahead" mix, I'd recommend just combining the flour, baking soda, and salt. Because of the freshly milled flour, you'd want to keep this in the refrigerator.
Mix:
1 cup freshly milled flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
You can add a little a more milk if the batter is too thick or you like your pancakes flatter. You can also stir in a cup of blueberries!
Grill on a pancake griddle about 350 degrees. Makes about 10 pancakes.
Tim Day wrote:I've been using a "wonder" mill already and wonder how much difference would I notice between the two.
One difference you'll notice with the KoMo Classic is that it's quieter than other electric mills. The stone burrs give is a lower grinding noise versus the high pitched noise of other electric mills. The KoMo mills also give you a nice variety of textures of grains, from fine flour to coarse/cracked grains. It can grind a wide variety of grains (often more than other electric mills with impact burrs): soft or hard wheat, oat groats (dehulled oats), rice, triticale, kamut, spelt, buckwheat, barley, rye, millet, teff, quinoa, amaranth, sorghum, soybeans and dent (field) corn. It will also grind lentils, dry beans (pinto, red, garbanzo/chickpeas, kidney & more), and dried, non-oily spices.
Many customers also love the KoMo simply for it's beautiful appearance. They like it sitting on their counter and that also makes it very convenient and easy to use. No set up is necessary and clean up is a breeze (you just brush off any flour dust with a clean paint brush or wipe it off with a damp cloth).
A few things to keep in mind when using freshly ground flour: it takes a little longer to absorb the liquid so give it some extra time when mixing. When you first start, it's easy to add too much flour and then you'll end up with very dense dough and "brick" loaves. It's also helpful to keep your salt away from your yeast. Salt inhibits yeast, so I like to add about 1/2 my flour and mix, then add the salt, and add the final flour.
Peter Reinhart's Whole Grain Bread book is excellent! It discusses the biga and soaker methods (with options for using buttermilk or yogurt) and has excellent step by step recipes and pictures.
Sue Becker's "The Essential Home-Ground Flour book is also an excellent choice for recipes using freshly milled grains.
We have a great Mill Buying guide here: https://pleasanthillgrain.com/resources/grain-mill-comparison-feature-review. I personally love the KoMo Classic. It's what I use at home and it's super quick and easy to use. It's a beautiful feature sitting on my counter and it's so handy to use. You simply turn it on and fill the hopper with grain. No set up and very little clean up necessary! It can grind a fine flour or you can turn the hopper to adjust the stones to give you a coarse texture.
I understand the desire for a hand crank option with both stone and steel burrs. The steel burrs are nice if you want to grind anything oily. The Wonder Junior Deluxe is an excellent choice for this as it comes with both the stone and steel burrs. You can find out more about that option here (and it's in stock!): https://pleasanthillgrain.com/wonder-junior-deluxe-manual-grain-mill
At Pleasant Hill Grain, we sell a variety of grains, including hard wheat and soft wheat, as well as rye, oats, quinoa, spelt, etc. Our grains are triple-cleaned and come in food-safe buckets which are great for long-term storage. Here is the link to our page showing all grains if you're interested: https://pleasanthillgrain.com/food/grains-legumes-seeds
Thank you for all the warm welcome messages! I'm excited to dive in to answering questions over the next few days. I just finished up my breakfast of homemade toast made with freshly ground flour using the KoMo Classic mill. It was delicious!
It will basically grind any dry grain that is not oily or too fibrous. It can do soft and hard grains, dent corn, legumes (i.e. chickpeas, dry beans, lentils), spices (i.e. mustard seeds, poppy seeds), and coffee beans. Since I'm not as familiar with okra seeds, I would recommend grinding a small amount first to see how they do in the mill.